Working with operator Pat Rosin and an excavator donated by the Jefferson County Solid Waste we went to work building swales to harvest runoff. Downed cottonwood trees and old fence posts gathered from the site were buried in the swales to create a sponge that stores water in the landscape while also creating an environment for beneficial soil microorganisms.

A few folks using a home built A frame to find and flag some contour lines for future swales. Swales are a ditch and mound system to harvest rainwater run-off right where you need it, in the soil where trees and plants will take it up. They also create micro climates. We will construct the swales and plant them after the design has been drawn up.